Salute To Soy Crayons

CFB REPORT - Thought, talk and speculation

June 30, 1997

If Dixon Ticonderoga has its way, its newest product - a soybean-based crayon - will snag some air time on national television July 4. The Lake Mary company will host a coloring fest July 3 in America's heartland: the soybean-producing state of Indiana. Using the environmentally friendly crayon, 500 youngsters will color a 60-by-21-foot U.S. flag. Somebody call Good Morning, America!

An Israeli connection

Orlando's Coleman Research Corp. may be on the verge of a major deal with an Israeli aerospace company to build the next-generation of launch rockets for NASA. Coleman and Israeli Aircraft Industries are partnering to compete for NASA's multibillion-dollar Small Expendable Launch Vehicle contract, according to sources on the Space Coast. Officials for Coleman say they've talked but not struck a deal with the Israeli firm - yet.

On the air from Orlando

E!

Entertainment Television is still fine-tuning plans for a satellite studio at Universal Studio's CityWalk. The cable network expects to hire a local production crew for some original programming it plans to do here. Officials say they should know soon how many production workers they'll need for what is expected to be a daily show. The E! Entertainment facility, set to open in about a year, also will have a coffee bar and merchandise store.

Getting its site up

Cox Interactive Media, gearing up to launch a city guide on the World Wide Web by early fall, just opened a studio at WFTV-Channel 9's downtown Orlando headquarters. Cox's Central Florida site should look similar to its Access Atlanta site (http://www.accessatlanta.com), which contains a mix of news and local entertainment information. Cox has registered potential domain names for the new site, including insideorlando.com and insidethemeparks.com. Besides WFTV, Cox owns seven Orlando radio stations, including market leader 92.3 FM (WWKA).

Filling the 3-D void

Speculation now is that an Orange Avenue storefront vacant since the 3-D From Downtown restaurant closed in March will be filled by a nightclub. Initially, The Mill restaurant was bandied as a candidate for the space. Mark NeJame, an Orlando criminal-defense lawyer, is working with prospective tenants. He was one of the owners of 3-D, which was named for Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott.

Saving their jobs

The 594 workers of PCA Solutions Inc. in Longwood and Winter Park may regain job security this summer. Humana Inc.'s plans to acquire parent company Physician Corp. of America may involve increasing the staff of PCA Solutions, which processes claims for PCA's troubled property and casualty insurance arm. In February, state regulators declared the insurer insolvent.

Seeking scrutiny

Most people mired in controversy would want to keep the details secret. Not real estate lecturer William J. McCorkle, who state regulators suspect of deceptive advertising and unfair business practices. McCorkle is fighting to unseal a search warrant that resulted in a government raid of his Lake Mary home and Orlando business last month. He also seeks to recover the jewelry, bank accounts and company records seized by federal agents. A hearing is scheduled in July.

Medfly on the Web

The Florida Department of Agriculture has put its battle against the Mediterranean fruit fly on the Internet. Infestations have been found in Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties. The Web site (http://www.flag.com) has news about the fight and information about the pesticide Malathion.